


hot dog (romantic)

by Pawprinter



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Reunions, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, willie and alex deserve a cheesy reunion!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29300787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pawprinter/pseuds/Pawprinter
Summary: Alex didn't cross over.He survived.And now it's time to find Willie.or: another willex reunion
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 235





	hot dog (romantic)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the Willex reunion filled with angst and feels (you can read _that_ [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28064643)), so here's one filled with joy and... more feels.
> 
> WILLEX DESERVES A CHEESY ROMANTIC REUNION!

Alex didn’t waste any time.

He’d done that before. He let time slip between his fingers —  _ he let so many opportunities pass him by  _ — and he refused to let that happen again with this second chance at life.

Or… third chance? Because, technically, Julie saving them from Caleb’s jolts was not the first time they were pulled back to reality.

_ Whatever. It didn’t matter. _

He was up until sunrise thinking about this.

_ About him.  _

(And, sure, ghosts were up until sunrise  _ anyway  _ because dead teenagers didn’t need any sleep, but it was romantic and dramatic to chalk it up to the fact he made Alex feel as though he was crushed into a cube,  _ okay?) _

The heat was dry and suffocating. As soon as he poofed into the skatepark, Alex shrugged off his pink hoodie and tied it around his waist, his eyes never leaving the crowd in front of him.

_ He could spot him by the broadness of his shoulders, or by the swish of his hair, or by the way he moved as he walked. _

Willie.

Alex needed to find Willie.

He was done wasting moments because —  _ how many moments were they given? How many second chances was he going to be granted? How many, how many, how many— _

He wasn’t going to wait around for another chance with Willie because he was long past  _ second  _ chances. Really, he must’ve been on his third at this point. Or a fourth. Or maybe fifth.

_ It didn’t matter because— _

_ —he wasn’t going to waste another second. _

It was the morning after their performance at the Orpheum. He lived — or  _ survived  _ — against all odds. He had his whole afterlife in front of him, and he knew one thing.

_ He wanted Willie by his side through it. _

If Alex’s heart still beat, it would’ve been thundering against his chest as he scanned the park for the familiar skater. Even without life running through his veins, his hands shook at his sides with adrenaline and his breath was caught somewhere in his chest. The world seemed to flash around him — all moving so quick — with Alex struggling to take it all in.

_ Picking him from a crowd was easy though. _

It was as if the universe kept drawing them together — as if all the stars aligned  _ perfectly  _ to put them in each others’ paths. Bumping into him the first time was inevitable.

_ Just as inevitable as their reunion now. _

Willie was skating around the perimeter of the park, looking as though he was in a world of his own. His helmet straps hung loose around his jaw, his eyes were covered by the brim of the shell, and his hands shoved deep into his pockets. 

_ Before Alex could take all of him in — all the details, all the emotions — he was moving. _

Alex couldn’t remember a time where he sprinted this fast.

The thought of calling out to him didn’t even cross his mind. All Alex could think about was repeating their last moment together — all he could think about was throwing his arms around him and  _ never letting go. _

And he did.

Beats before impact, Alex’s shadow darted in front of Willie’s. He whipped around, his expression twisted with annoyance and lips parted. Willie must’ve recognized him instant because he froze, as if he’d been petrified, and—

“Alex!?”

They collided.

Later, Alex would blame it on his excitement, or he’d blame it on the fact Willie was standing on his skateboard, or he’d blame it on the fact that he was trying to replicate the first time they met but—

They fell backwards.

Concrete against his skin was familiar — just like the arms around his shoulders.

They were a mess of limbs on the ground. Willie managed to land flat on his back, cushioning the fall for Alex, but he didn’t seem to care. His helmet skidding across the pavement, revealing his expression. It was as bright as the sunlight kissing the world around them.

“You— Hey! Alex!” Willie’s hands gripped Alex’s back. The feeling of being clung to was reminiscent of their goodbye only the day before. “Alex!”

_ Alex, Alex, Alex. _

He’d never grow tired of the way Willie said his name — bright and carefully, as if his name alone was something to cherish.

“Willie! I— Hi. Hey. Hi.” 

Alex pushed himself to his hands, which were planted on either side of his torso, and hovered only inches above Willie’s body.

_ And, for a long moment, they were frozen that way  _ — with Alex leaning over him, and Willie’s hands gripping the front of his shirt, and skateboarders flying all around them. 

_ Alex had never been this close to Willie for so long before,  _ and he took advantage of the mess they’d fallen into. He drank in his expression. He studied the way his eyes were wide with shock, and the way his throat bobbed with each swallow, and the way stray pieces of his hair clung to his face.

It was on instinct that Alex reached out. It was barely a brush of his fingers across his face, just enough to sweep his hair out of his eyes, but it was enough to cause Willie’s expression to flash between shock and something sweeter. Willie grew still. The steadiness of the rise and fall of his chest disappeared.

“You said you’d see me around,” Alex breathed, calling back to their last conversation.  _ To their goodbye.  _ “Well… I’m here, and I think I’m going to be around for a while.”

Willie moved forward in disbelief, his eyes wide and searching, and creased Alex’s face. His hand cupped his jaw with so much tenderness that it made Alex’s mind short-circuit and knocked the breath from his lungs. 

_ Suddenly, Alex understood Willie’s earlier reaction. _

The world was narrowed down to this; Willie’s hands on his face, Willie’s eyes locked with his, Willie’s body beneath his own. 

_ Willie. _

_ Willie, Willie, Willie. _

For the first time in a long time, Alex didn’t think.

They both moved together at the same time, stealing back the space between them — just as they were stealing back precious time from the universe and the great beyond.

_ They kissed and it was glorious. _

Alex poured everything he had into the kiss — he poured  _ everything  _ he wanted to say into this  _ one  _ moment, and he hoped Willie understood.

_ Alex hoped Willie understood that he was here, and his heart was his, and he was in this — whatever  _ this _ was. _

A friendship.

A relationship.

_ Anything. _

Whatever came next for them; Alex wanted to do it with Willie at his side.

Willie’s fingers curled against Alex’s jaw and his thumb swept across his cheek; a simple motion that seemingly curled into Alex’s soul, etching all the feelings for this guy —  _ this beautiful, breathtaking, wonderful guy  _ — further into him.

Alex’s fingers threaded through Willie’s hair, his fingertips brushing against the back of his neck, drawing him closer.

_ Connectedness,  _ Alex discovered, _ was the perfect feeling.  _

Better than the rush he felt up on stage. 

Better than the peace he felt on a Friday night, with the weekend stretched out in front of him.

Better than the warmth that burst across his chest when he made Willie smile. 

_ This blew all of that out of the water. _

This—

—feeling tethered to someone.

—feeling their hands move across his face with an unbelievable tenderness.

—holding them back with just as much care; just as much understanding; just as much  _ love. _

It made the world pale in comparison.

When they broke apart, Alex couldn’t speak — couldn’t breathe — couldn’t  _ think. _

He blinked at Willie owlishly. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Willie breathed, looking just as awe-struck as Alex felt. “Wow.”

Alex wanted to say more —  _ he did —  _ but—

Right when he was about to speak, a kid on rollerblades blew right through them.

The moment shattered. 

They both flickered. 

While it wasn’t nearly as intense as being punched in the gut, the effect was similar, leaving them both grimacing. 

“Thanks!” Alex snapped, glaring at the kid’s retreating back. “Very nice, kid! Where’s your mom!?  _ Jesus!”  _ He turned back to Willie, still rambling. “Are kids always like that? Do they just— oh, okay.”

Willie pulled him back in for another kiss — a kiss that Alex returned eagerly. It was shorter than their first one, sweeter too, and it washed away the rant he had on the tip of his tongue. When they broke apart for the second time, Alex didn’t even  _ care  _ that there were children running loose all around them.

All he cared about was the guy in his arms.

Willie’s lips ghosted against Alex’s as he spoke. “You’re alive.”

_ Alex hadn’t felt more alive in his entire life. _

“I am.”

Their foreheads pressed together. Alex’s eyes remained firmly shut, desperate to live in this moment a little bit longer. 

“Dude, I’ve wanted to do that  _ forever,”  _ Willie admitted. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment  _ I  _ pancaked  _ you.” _

_ Oh, how things had changed. _

“Forever, huh?” Alex’s laugh was shaky. His fingers curled into the fabric of Willie’s jacket. “I guess... now that I’m not dying again, we get to do just that. If you want.”

Willie cupped Alex’s face tenderly.

_ “If I want,”  _ he echoed. He looked bemused. “Forever with you sounds good, hot dog.”

The kiss that followed was exactly that.  _ It was a good start to forever.  _

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was sparked after OPJ talked about wanting a season 1 Willex kiss in an interview. I honestly don't see any of the current Willex scenes including a kiss, but I decided the moment between the final two scenes would be a PERFECT spot to fit a Willex kiss.
> 
> Shout out to Ryn for letting me yell about this fic and for encouraging me to title this fic after a joke I made!!!!!! You're a gem!!
> 
> [Also, a cool moment for me because this marks my hundredth fic on AO3! yay!]
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Paw  
> Find me on [Tumblr!](https://pawprinterfanfic.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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